to run, to be run | The Grammar Exchange

Ahmed Imam AttiaMember

Hello. Which one is correct? why?

- Many machines are made ......... by electricity.

(to run - to be run)

Thank you.

12/1/2012:55 PM

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ahmed_btmMember

Hi, Ahmed,

@Ahmed Imam Attia posted:
Hello. Which one is correct? why?
- Many machines are made ......... by electricity.
(to run - to be run)
Thank you.

Using 'by' here is perplexing. The intransitive use of 'run' is the natural thing to say here. I'd say: "Many machines are made to run on electricity." Using 'by' means 'run' is used as a transitive verb and must be used in the passive form in your example. I haven't seen 'run' used as a transitive verb with this meaning before.

David, ModeratorModerator

@ahmed_btm posted:
I'd say: "Many machines are made to run on electricity."

"Made to run on electricity" is an excellent suggestion, Ahmed_btm. "Made to run by electricity" definitely does not work, and, with the passive infinitival (to be V-ed), it would be more idiomatic to change "run" to "powered":

Many machines are made to be powered by electricity.

Ahmed Imam AttiaMember

Hello. again.

Can't we say: " Electricity makes many machines run."?

Thank you.

ahmed_btmMember

Hi, Ahmed,

@Ahmed Imam Attia posted:
Hello. again.
Can't we say: " Electricity makes many machines run."?
Thank you.

I see that this is a very poor sentence to use.

1- Many machines are made to run on / be powered by electricity.

(It means they are designed to run on / be powered by electricity.)

2- Many machines are made to run by electricity.

(It doesn't have the same meaning as 1. It sounds meaningless or odd and I think that no one will get that meaning you have in mind.)

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